How to maintain continuous professional development for Doctors

When I worked out what continuous professional development as a doctor was really about….and why it's not just conferences and certificates!

At several points in the last 20 years, I reached a crossroads in my medical career.

I lacked clarity on the path to take and how I could create a flexible role that would allow me to make a bigger impact!

My default was to sign up for more training, add more certificates and attend more conferences. Ticking all the boxes and adding up my CPD points!

Maybe if I continued to expand my knowledge and skills I would eventually find the right path for me!

And yes I did LEARN a lot…and add a fairly impressive list of letters to my name. I could reel off interesting courses and conferences in any job interview, some more exotic than others!

All of this allowed me to do my job with greater skill (although it took a while to use my expedition medicine!!)

BUT despite all this time, energy and money (25000+ Euros in the first 10 years of my career)..I still LACKED CLARITY on the steps to take, and the confidence to take them.

Then I realised I was learning for knowledge NOT learning how to TAKE ACTION!

That my professional development could also support my career and life goals and help me take steps to change my career….if I did it differently.

I figured out what type of learning would help me move from A to B and give me clarity on what B was along the way!

By adding the next 5 elements to my life I was able to confidently develop as a medical professional.....and live my dream life!

Keeping a beginner’s mind

Maintaining a beginner’s mind helped me stay open. I realised that I was never going to have all the answers and that was OK. Not knowing was part of the experience and my learning would come from doing. I didn’t need to pass a test at the end or get a new qualification. This allowed me to look outside the box at different types of programs and experiences.

Being held accountable

Finding coaches who could keep me accountable to achieve my goals gave me the support I needed. My business and career coaches have been invaluable for my reflective learning. Continually providing dedicated time to do my best thinking, a space to share challenges and find ways to overcome them.

Improving my observation skills

Adding greater skills of observation and reflection allowed me to identify what was keeping me stuck and how to overcome it. It also helped me to celebrate my successes (something that doesn’t come naturally to me!)- to see the progress I made towards my goals. Taking stock of where I am and where I want to get to on a regular basis keeps me on track.

Finding an empowering environment

Finding the right environment to give momentum, support, direction and again…accountability was key. As one of my incredible coaches would say – finding the container to support you with your goals. The right environment for me facilitated active learning so I could actually implement change. A key aspect was being in a space with other like-minded people - knowing I wasn't alone with my struggles and I could celebrate my successes with them.

Knowing that learning is lifelong

Seeing learning as a lifelong made a huge difference. I knew that as a doctor I had taken an oath to continually review and update my skills. But expanding my learning so I could transform over a longer period of time as I maintained momentum and not just quickly add a new skill was a big mindset shift. Finding those key resources that I could dip back into really helped me to keep learning...and take action at the same time!

Would you like to add these 5 elements to your life?

If you want to transition to a more flexible career and are ready to learn differently then my Transition & Transform Program could be perfect for you! It includes all 5 of these elements and SO much more!

Type 'READY' in the comments and I will send you more info!

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I help doctors create a purposeful, flexible career outside full-time clinical medicine so they can control their time and have more balance in their lives. To find out more book a FREE 60-minute discovery call. https://calendly.com/resilienceyoga/60min

Image by Dariusz Mejer on Unsplash